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Writer Suzy Becker Is One Good Egg

Suzy Becker is not your average mom. The Bolton, Mass. resident is a New York Times best-selling author, cartoonist and creator of the country’s first HIV/AIDS bike-a-thon.

Becker’s latest work, an illustrated memoir called “One Good Egg,” traces her journey from single lesbian woman to a happy domestic life with a daughter and wife. Becker originally intended to write a book about “the baby decision” during a creative writing fellowship at Harvard in 1999. However, just as that process was beginning, doctors discovered a mass on Becker’s left parietal lobe and she underwent a surgical procedure that left her temporarily unable to speak, read, or write.

Becker ended up chronicling that medical odyssey in her critically acclaimed book “I Had Brain Surgery, What’s Your Excuse?” After a full recovery, she’s only now finally gotten around to finishing that original memoir.

Here’s a video interview with Becker in her home studio:

“One Good Egg” showcases the insightful, witty, and frank style that Becker has become known for. The text is accompanied by more than 300 illustrations of everything from hippie mothers in Lamaze class to sarcastic talking ovaries. Becker candidly addresses her fears about motherhood as well as the indignities of sperm donations, fertility doctors, and judgmental pregnant woman.

One Good Egg is heartfelt, and often laugh-out-loud funny. It’s a unique and idiosyncratic memoir that’s ultimately a portrait of modern motherhood.

Chris Duffy is the editor of Paperweight Magazine, a new humor magazine for the iPad. He also produces and hosts “You’re the Expert,” a monthly show at Oberon that uses comedy to make academic research more accessible and exciting.

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